I just finished reading Breaking Dawn, the final book in Stephenie Meyer's four-volume vampire romance The Twilight Saga. I'm glad I persevered to the end, for I left the oft rocky reading experience with an overall positive impression. What initially bothered me about Twilight, especially the same-titled first book, was the attitude of its protagonist Bella Swan. And if you can't relate in some way to the main character, it can sometimes be a chore to keep reading. So there have been times when I would just put a book down and not get back to it for weeks. But with Breaking Dawn, everything came together well and I found myself much more in sync with the characters, even Bella.
It's very hard for me to describe how this series develops without giving away the story, and I don't want to do that. But I think it is already common knowledge that the drama centers around teenager Bella Swan's love for fellow student, vampire Edward Cullen, and how this completely disrupts the lives of those around her in the setting, a northwestern peninsular Washington state community called Forks (which really exists). Meyer, like J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series, created an entire special world within the supernatural realm, with its own special rules. And like Rowling, Meyer succeeded in creating durable, compelling, and unforgettable characters. Bella, Edward, Jacob, Alice, Carlisle... these are names that will stick with me for a long time just as Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Severus have. Or Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, Gimli, etc, for that matter...
I have yet to watch a Twilight movie, and I understand that the final installment of Breaking Dawn is in the works for release in two parts: November this year and then a year later. Maybe now that I've read the books, I'll enjoy these movies. Maybe not, but I suppose I won't know until I try, right?
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